1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a projectile machine for use in practicing various activities including the practice of basketball shots from various positions on a basketball court. The projectile machine when practicing basketball shots automatically returns the basketballs to the person practicing shots thereby eliminating the necessity for the practicing player or other players to retrieve the basketballs that have been shot and return them to the player practicing the shots. More specifically, the present invention enables basketballs that have been shot towards the basketball goal or hoop to be automatically collected and mechanically returned to a selected on-court location at varying elevations, trajectories and velocity. The projectile machine can also be used during various activities relating to the practice of various endeavors in which an article is projected in a desired trajectory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Basketball players spend considerable time and effort in practicing shots from various positions on the basketball court. When doing so, it is necessary for the individual to retrieve each basketball that is shot or other players retrieve and return the basketballs to the person practicing the basketball shots. In an effort to reduce the necessity of the practicing player or other players retrieving and returning the basketballs to various locations on the basketball court, devices have been developed to collect and return basketballs to various locations on the basketball court.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,340, issued Apr. 1, 1986 discloses a machine for collecting and returning basketballs to various locations on the basketball court. The prior art of record in that patent also is relevant to this invention.
The machine disclosed in the above prior patent functions effectively but does not include various capabilities that are desirable when practicing basketball shots. The present invention is constructed so that it returns a basketball to various selected locations on the basketball court by varying the path of trajectory and velocity of the returning basketball. The basketball practice machine of this invention is mobile and can be operated from either a 110 or 12 volt power source, thus enabling operation in both indoor and outdoor environments. Also, the operation of the basketball return machine of this invention may be controlled remotely which enables a player to control the functions of the machine. Additionally, the basketball return machine of this invention includes a net supported by a collapsible frame that collects balls that go through the basketball goal or bounce off the backboard or goal and return them to the machine for projecting the basketballs singly toward different locations on the basketball court.